The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-06-15

t'oh fihncirco Alih tulnOfnlu.
DR.. Harry Gibbons lectured at thu
Cooper Medical College recently to q
large audience on the heart and its
disorders. He began his lecture by
remarking that scarcely two centuries
had elapsed since the complete circu-
lation OF the blood was first taught
and demonstrated. After giving a
history of the discovery OF the circula-
ton OF the blood, the lecturer then
gave lengthy and detailed descrip-
ton OF the anatomy OF the heat t..
The heart is i'm reality two muscular
pumps closely joined together, acting
together, but not communicating
with each other. In the Dugong, a
species OF the whale, the right
and lett hearts are separated. Each
of these pumps has an auricle to re-
.reive the blood and aventricle to force
ut out. The left heart receives the
blood from the lungs, and sends it
forth through the arteries to nourish
the body. The veins, after gathering
up the blood from the system, pour it
into the right heart, and it is then
sent to the lungs to be aerated and
purified beforeg going into the left heart.
The various valves OF the heart were
described and their functions enumer-
ated Roughly speaking, the heat is
about the size OF the fist OF its O err.
II is about five inches long. two ies
broad and three and half hes
thick In males the average weig.!C OF
the heart is from ten to twelve ounces
and in female from eight to ten ounces.
The female heart is, however, much
larger than the male heart in proper
ton TO the weight OF the body. "This
proves that the ladies are much larger
hearted than thesterner SEX" remark
ed DR.. Gibbons, and his gallant speech
was greeted with round OF applause,
while two pretty girls on one OF the
front benches whispered Simultaneous
ly, "Oh. isn't he just too sweet for
anything"
The handsome doctor blushed and
went on to tell about the pericardium
or muscular sac, which enc!oses the
heart. He also described the circula-
ton of the blood, and told where to
place the finger to feel the pulsation OF
the apex OF the heart. A certain Wis.,
count Montgomery was kind enough
to meet with an accident which re-
moved sufficient OF his anatomy to ex-
pose his heart, and the famous
DIR. Harvey used to catci. hold OF it
and pinch it, to show Charles that
the heart and no feeling. With every
second the heart completes its work.
What q restless, tireless organ the
heart is, and yet it does rest about the
two-iifth portion ofevery second. To
the trained ear of the physician the
heart 'emits two sounds. The first
beat, heard near the apex is of dull,
mufiied character, the second is sharp
er and clearer, and is heard near the
base OF thu heart. The two sounds
can be best described by the words
club" tul." These sounds are pro-
duced by the opening and closing of
the valves OF the heart.
To show the tremendous energy OF
the heart afew figures were given. AS
Stunning the average pulse TO be so per
minute, then the valves OF the heart
open and close $4,000 times
every day, or 40.000,000 times
a year; and in lifetime OF 70
years nearly 3,O0O,000,0o0 times.
Somebody once counted the hairs on
n blondes head and found there were
140. 900. "Thus, you see." said the
Doctor. sit would take all the hairs
on the heads OF 10000 blondes to
equal the number OF times the heart
beats in n lie of 20 years"
"Oh, my good gracious" giygled the
two pretty girls.
ain that period OF time" continued
the Doctor, nearly 50,000,000 gal.
Ions OF blood pass through the heart;
and II this was oil put into one reser-
voir it would float ten vessels the size
of the Great Eastern. II the power
exerted by the heart in twenty-four
hours could be compressed into one
effort il would be sufficient to raise
1874 tons, dead weight, one foot.
II the force expended in n lifetime OF
seventy years was exerted all at once,
ii would raise solid block OF marble
as big as the Palace Hotel five feet.
An exhaustive and somewhat techni-
cal description OF the diseases affect
ing the heart was given by the lectur-
err. aud he stated, with considerable
emphasis. that pain in the region of
the heart does not necessarily indicate |
henri disease. 1t may be, and very |
frequently is, due TO dyspepsia and in
-ercostal neuralgia. Palpitation OF
the heart is OF frequent occurrence in |
people, and for the most part
lie not OF a character TO produce So
lious results.
The next and concluding lecture of